Vehicle Description
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
Chevrolet designers were really hitting their stride in the mid
1950's with their Tri Fives, and you would arguably say the Magnum
Opus was the last model of the Tri Five era, the 57 Chevrolet. So
how exactly does one take this masterpiece of bowtie design, and
take it one step further? Something to really end up with the
pie'ce de re'sistance, and stand out from the crowd a bit, but all
the while not ruining the original concept, read on and see.
For consignment a piece of the piece de resistance in the form of
the banner year for the Tri Fives... a 1957 Bel Air. Fully frame
off restored with a little bit of hot rod mixed in and all primed
to go for a cruise down Main Street and start turning heads. In
splendid condition, it's like a gold nugget that glistens in your
pan amid all the silt and water, and when you lay your eyes on this
one you will see she's worth her weight...
Exterior
From its toothy vintage and fresh grille that floats between a
small upper bumper and lower large bumper complete with rubber
tipped "Dagmars", to the beltline swoop spear that makes a downward
turn on the rear quarter panel, this restoration is truly the
definition of the term "buttoned up." Dual rocket style hood
embellishments are fronting curved gentle tubes that are on either
side of the hood. These run back toward the wrap around windshield
where they die into the hood. Very nice, (just like the bumpers and
trim), chrome headlight bezels frame the single headlights, and
nice chromed side view mirrors, door handles, and window trim, all
chromed are all wonderful show chrome from Danchuk. Continuing
rearward, we see an offshoot of the downward sloping spear, that
also runs to the rear of the car, and borders a horizontally ribbed
aluminum panel with a gold Bel Air badge in your grandmother's
handwriting, and cloisonne Chevrolet bowtie badge. We need to talk
about the straight steel panels all around, with nicely minded
gaps, and covered in well applied black paint. All looking good and
ready for a night out on the town. 15-inch Keystone polished and
slotted wheels have been put on and are wrapped in deeply treaded
blackwall BF Goodrich rubber.
Interior
A swing of the doors and we see flagstone pattern black and red
broadcloth mixed with a curvaceous red mid panel. Cranks and levers
are very good as is the armrest. Looking inside a very clean split
bench with more of the black and red flagstone pattern tuck and
roll cloth and smooth red bolsters. The rear bench follows the form
of the front seats and just to show off chromed buttons have been
added to the seat backs along with lap belts added in the name of
safety. The dash is showroom, with red painted top dash, a red
surround for the instrument cluster, steering column and steering
wheel right out of 1957 and all pristine even with the added
Autometer tachometer on the column. An aluminum band with a mini
square pattern adds an accent strip to the dash and houses various
knobs and a modern vintage looking AM/FM radio with Ipod
capability. Red clean low pile carpet floods the floors and has
some red rubber Chevrolet protective floor mats on top. A Hurst
shifter with a white ball topper rises to meet the driver's right
arm and a few aftermarket gauges have been added in and all is
looking just showroom inside.
Drivetrain
An automotive mechanical bauble could best describe this dual
4-barrel carburetor and intake setup which tops a small block
Chevrolet 283ci V8 circa 1957. According to our consignor this
masterpiece top end is courtesy of a 1957 Corvette. This engine
sports an orange painted block, and well-polished bolt ons all
around, ribbed and polished valve covers, and twin round chrome air
cleaner holders. Supple hoses and original silver manifolds are all
present and accounted for. On back is a Borg Warner T10 4-speed
manual transmission, and way back a 3.55 geared axle. Hopping up
the mill is a Comp Cams Mutha Thumper camshaft and ignition is
handled by a Pertronix unit under the stock looking distributor
cap.
Undercarriage
The frame off restoration has left the undercarriage simply
beautiful looking absolutely right out of the showroom. Black
undercoated floor pans and pristine black rockers are mounted
securely to a jet-black straight rust-free frame. Dual exhaust in
Flowmaster fashion is like new and worms its way back past all this
finery. Front and rear drums remain on. Manual steering and
independent coil spring front suspension and leaf spring and
traction bar rear suspension are all clean and near perfect and
showroom quality.
Drive-Ability
As expected from the look of the rest of the car, it runs very
well, starting immediately, shifting smoothly, and providing a
smooth ride. Plenty of power from those dual 4 barrels feeding the
small block. All functions were working as expected on our test
drive, including the GPS driven speedometer.
If you are in the market for the best year of the Tri-Fives, that
is as close to really nice as one can get, then look no further
because this is one of the nicest examples around. A tastefully
performed restoration with some hot rod additions all the while in
keeping with the original concept from 1957. An original looker,
and in the prime time... 1957. Looks like you are in the front
row!!
VIN DECODE
VC57T187850
V-V8
C-2400 Series Bel Air
57-1957
T-Tarrytown, NY Assy Plant
187850-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
